A new role can be exciting and still leave you feeling unsure. Returning to work can bring relief alongside worry about home. Caring for someone can change your routines before you have had time to understand how you feel about it.
I conducted a Safe Space x Infineon webinar on building resilience during life and career transitions. One idea running through the session was that resilience can include rest, support, difficult feelings and small steps. You can still be finding your feet while doing something useful for yourself.
I shared my ACE framework: Acknowledge, Clarify, Ease into it. It gives you a few questions to return to when life is changing. Here’s what that can look like in everyday situations.
Change can affect more than your schedule
There is a difference between the event and your adjustment to it. William Bridges describes change as external and transition as the inner process of adapting.
Imagine starting a new job. The practical changes are easy to list: a new commute, new systems and different people. Other changes may emerge later. You miss being the person who knew how things worked. You worry about asking a basic question. Your usual evening routine no longer fits.
During uncertainty, you might try to control every detail, keep busy to avoid a difficult conversation, struggle to choose where to start, or take on everyone else’s work. These are examples for reflection, rather than labels for your personality.
The useful question is: “What do I tend to do when I feel unsure, and what might help me now?”
A — Acknowledge what is changing
Start with what you can already see. Then make room for what you are only beginning to notice.
You might ask: “What has changed? What am I leaving behind? What feels different in my body, thoughts or emotions?” You can write a few words rather than trying to explain everything.
For someone returning from parental leave, this could sound like: “I’m glad to be back. I also miss time with my child, and I’m tired from broken sleep.” For someone supporting an ageing parent: “I can manage the appointments, but I’m worried about what comes next.” These are illustrative examples, not stories from webinar participants.
If reflection feels like too much, pause. Feel the support of your chair, notice your feet or gently look around the room. Choose something comfortable and stop if it doesn’t help. Body-based practices are options to explore, not a test you need to pass.
C — Clarify where your effort can help
Sort one concern into three areas: what you can control, what you can influence and what you need to acknowledge as outside your control right now.
You may control how you prepare for a meeting. You may influence the agenda by asking a question. You cannot know exactly how everyone will respond.
At home, you might choose a simpler dinner, ask your partner to handle bedtime, and recognise that you cannot make every evening run smoothly. At work, you might list your current tasks and ask your manager which should come first.
Accepting the present facts doesn’t mean agreeing to unfair demands. Sometimes the useful next step is a clear request, a boundary or a conversation about workload.
Also ask: “What helped me through a past change?” Perhaps you asked good questions, kept a simple routine or reached out to someone you trusted. Choose one strength you can use again.
E — Ease into it with support
Make the next step small enough to take. “How will I cope with all of this?” can become “What would make tomorrow a little easier?”
Be specific about support. You may need someone to listen, practical help at home, clearer priorities at work or a private conversation with a counsellor. People may find it easier to respond to “Could you take this appointment on Thursday?” than “I need more help.”
For a new team leader, one next step could be asking a colleague to explain an unfamiliar process. For a caregiver, it could be arranging one shared task. For someone moving home, it might be keeping one familiar morning habit while everything else is unsettled.
ACE is a flexible reflection guide. You can return to any part of it as your needs change. It doesn’t promise to remove uncertainty; it helps you name what is happening and choose a workable response.
Your Next Step
Pick one change and write one sentence for each letter: “I acknowledge…”, “I can clarify…” and “I can ease into this by…”. Choose one action and one person who could support you.
I offer talks and workshops that help people practise these skills through everyday examples, reflection and body-based exercises. Explore a session for your workplace or community.
Book a free discovery call
Would you like support for yourself or a wellbeing session for your team? Let’s talk about what you need. In a free 30-minute discovery call, you can ask questions and explore how we could work together.
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